A Rock Under Me
by greysnyper
Summary: Fili's glad to see someone other than Kili for once.


The sun was magnificently warm and the long, flat rock absorbed the heat and radiated it. Altogether, Fili couldn't think of a better place to be.

His braids had dried off long ago and he felt clean and content on his own, while everyone else in the Company washed in the river beyond the copse of birch trees.

Fili had always been (what was the word the Hobbit used?) "tidy." It had always been his habit to wash thoroughly and without much fussing so Fili could spend only a few moments at the task and be successfully done with it. What also helped was that he maintained himself a lot better than his brother who was always with him, and by comparison Fili always looked well-kept to Kili's disarray.

With the blessing of those determining the adventure's pace, Fili's comrades had torn off their gear and clothing and gone charging into the stream. Fili had joined them for mere moments before declaring himself clean.

He could remember the last time he had gone swimming with his brethren, and he still bore a scar from Kili's shenanigans. Retreating to this place was preferable and dozing was a right of his anyhow. Fili would take up much of the watch tonight and getting some sun and shut-eye was welcome and wise to do.

He shifted and laced his fingers behind his head, content to let his travel furs and tunic drip over the ledge of his rock. It took a lot to tan Dwarf skin but with this heat, perhaps the sun would do it. Fili liked the possibility and felt a smile tug it's way into being.

He enjoyed everything about this momentary peace from their journey. Faintly, he could pick out pieces of shouts and challenges from the stream but mostly he ignored them. Birds sang, and the leaves sometimes rattled all around him. An odd bug would buzz or bumble by and Fili relaxed into the world that existed here, a long ways removed from family duty and threat of bloodshed.

Fili would willingly drive himself into either of these things for Kili, Thorin, and any of his brethren. But it demanded a toll, which he could appreciate more in quiet moments.

His thoughts dwindled and Fili nearly did fall into a sleep when something stirred his attention. He lost the shadow of a grin and listened closely to find the source of his distraction when he heard the soft sound of grass being disturbed not far from him.

Fili's first thought was that Kili had come to seek him out. Perhaps the lad had a helmet filled with river water and an inkling to surprise the unsuspecting Fili. The potential did not sit well with the Dwarf and as subtle as he often was, he opened one eye and peered out at the culprit.

It was not Kili, but Ori. And the smaller Dwarf paused immediately, watching the rock carefully in his damp trousers complete with belt, and his cloak wrapped around his torso and head like a blanket. He had a small satchel that was miraculously dry in his keeping, drawn tight to his chest.

"I'm sorry to disturb you," he stated, sincere.

Fili relaxed his shoulders and sighed. "No need to apologize," he answered, glad to see Ori instead of his brother. Over the treetops, there was someone yelling Kili's name angrily, which sounded about right.

Ori glanced back at the call and said, "it's very wet back there and I wanted to do some drawing."

Fili craned his neck down and scrutinized the area of his flat stone. There was room for two if he shifted to the corner. With some lethargy, he pulled himself up in a sit-up and then unlaced his fingers from around his head. He patted the side of the stone invitingly.

Something in the way Ori's eyes lit up caught Fili off guard and the smaller Dwarf crossed the distance eagerly and then scrambled the small height with some care not to drip on his host. The enthusiasm was perhaps like watching a dam burst with long-contained water, Fili thought. Or like a child being granted permission to go somewhere long anticipated. They were strange analogies that fit almost too well, Fili noted.

Ori sat cross-legged, a notable distance from Fili and seemed to take stock of his new placement. He looked once at Fili's expression—was it bemusement Fili was showing?—before directing all of his attention to his satchel with ears that were surprisingly red.

Shrugging inwardly, Fili let himself back into a lifeless sprawl on the rock, finding his new arrangement hot on his skin. He clenched his teeth a moment, bearing it with the knowledge that he'd grow used to the heat again soon. Ori was perfectly quiet with his rummaging and not unwelcome beside Fili.

A moment passed with a small skritch of quill on paper, and then those sounds too became part of the peaceable world around Fili. He breathed steadily and dozed after realizing that he felt more at ease now than he had when he had been alone.

Perhaps he did worry more than he consciously thought, always needing to know where the others were—watching Kili, or not able to even leave himself unguarded. While Ori was not of Durin's line, he was still sharp-eyed and sensible. Fili valued that.

An hour may have gone by unnoticed before Fili became aware of a distant question asked soft-spoken from Ori.

"Would you mind if I drew you?"

Fili felt his brows knit together as he came back to himself, identified the request and then noted Ori's tone. No, he couldn't quite place what it was that he heard invested in that question. Letting it be in typical Fili fashion, he shrugged.

"If you let me look at it later, by all means…" he muttered. Aware now that his fingers were becoming numb from lack of movement, Fili unlatched his hands, flexed them once and then placed them at his belly. He felt his head loll and he let it. He didn't open his eyes. Perhaps he didn't need to inspect Ori's expression or investigate further. It could just be what it would be.

The sound of sketching resumed.

Somewhere beyond the trees, Gandalf was warning Kili not to drown their Burglar, and all was right with Middle Earth.


End file.
